“Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart” (Roy T Bennett) According to psychology research (Lisa Fritscher: Very Well Mind), fear is a primal emotion that involves a universal biochemical response and a high individual emotional response. Fear is helpful when it alerts us to…
A visionary leader, who is inclusive, has the power to transform a culture into a forward-looking, responsibility-taking and high-performing team that is focused on meaning and value. Typically, rules and regulations hold an organisation back from fulfilling its mission – talent gets attracted and commitment gets fostered to the vision, but that enthusiasm gets lost…
I want to live this year – not just survive. The world’s population has just endured two really tough years – not just on account of the corona virus COVID-19 pandemic with all its variants, but also because of many other related ensuing trends. The virus has challenged major economies exposing their fragility. Some people…
One of the saddest songs I have ever heard is “Creep”, written and performed by Thom Yorke of the English alternative rock band, Radiohead. The song was released as their debut single in 1992, but the single was initially banned as it was deemed to be “too depressing”. “Creep” was not a hit at first,…
I finally landed at the international airport, on my way home after a week-long trip abroad. It was an early arrival and I approached passport control, greeted the official, who answered: “Yeah”. I asked somewhat irritated: “Is that all I am going to get – just yeah?” He answered rather rudely: “Well, what do you…
All human beings have a need to feel part of something bigger than them – a sense that they are valued and that they can make a contribution that will be recognised. Employees want to be part of a winning team, want to have a fair, kind and generous boss and want a job that…
We all have it – a nasty condition called ‘unconscious bias’. This “ailment” permeates our thinking. It guides the decisions that we make. It motivates favour for one above the other. It unconsciously works in our psyche, forming, even solidifying, a tendency towards certain opinions and reinforcing limiting beliefs. It breeds selfishness, whilst, at the…
“And the soul is like the eye: when resting upon that which is truth and being shine, the soul perceives and understands and is radiant with intelligence; but when turned towards the twilight of becoming and perishing, then she has opinion only and goes blinking about and is first of one opinion and then of…
I have often wondered what it would be like to manage managers with a merit/demerit system linked to their potential bonuses – it would be punitive, but oh, so much fun. Just imagine a measurement system application linked to their respective smartphones where they can achieve merit points for doing well, but get penalised with…
“A new broom sweeps clean, but an old broom knows every corner” (Anon) “Break neither the new nor the old broom – they are both essential if the organisation is to grow” (Jonathan Mills) There are times when a change in leadership is exactly what the organisation needs to stimulate growth, reduce inefficiencies and engender…
“Hope is the only good god remaining among mankind; the others have left and gone to Olympus. Trust, a mighty god has gone. Restraint has gone from men and the Graces, my friend, have abandoned the earth. Men’s judicial oaths are no longer to be trusted, nor does anyone revere the immortal gods; the race…
“Thinking collaboratively is not new. What is new is the increasing complexity of information flow in organisations that calls for high levels of engagement, innovation and collective problem-solving” (Bruce Wellman) The business intelligence context for almost every type of business has changed dramatically in the past couple of decades – the transformation of roles which…
